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As expected, Arthur Rhodes passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment last week and the Rangers have released the 41-year-old reliever. Rhodes will likely find a new home because he can still be reasonably effective when spotted against left-handed hitters, but none of the other 29 teams wanted anything to do with the…

UPDATE: Reyes has been placed on the disabled list. ========== No official word from the Mets yet on Jose Reyes‘ hamstring injury, but general manager Sandy Alderson just said during a radio interview with WFAN in New York that the shortstop is “very likely” to miss 2-3 weeks. Reyes spent two weeks on the disabled…

Starting next year the United States Postal Service will issue “Major League Baseball All-Star” stamps honoring “four players who were perennial All-Star selections and left an indelible impression on the game.” Today they announced that Yankees Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio is the first player to be honored, with Kadir Nelson doing the artwork. I’ve…

Michael Young went 2-for-4 last night to reach 2,000 career hits. That they’ve all come for the Rangers is noteworthy and getting there at age 34 means he has a shot at 3,000, but in terms of the attention being given to the actual milestone 2,000 might be just a bit overrated. Young is the…

Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times has some startling figures on how much money the Dodgers are losing because fans stopped going to games. According to Peltz “the sharp drop in attendance at Dodger Stadium this year is likely to cost the Dodgers at least $27 million in reduced ticket sales, concession, and parking…

So much for Jim Leyland and Dave Dombrowski potentially being on the hot seat in Detroit. With the Tigers four games up in the AL Central race in search of their first division title since 1987 the team just announced contract extensions for the manager and general manager, with Leyland’s deal now going through next…

David Freese has been cleared to return to game action after being hit on the helmet by a pitch Thursday and is expected to be back in the Cardinals’ lineup tomorrow night, according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Freese suffered a mild concussion when he was beaned by a Clay Hensley…

In another organization, Matt Moore would likely already have arrived in the majors. The 22-year-old was dominant right from the start in Double-A this year, going 8-3 with a 2.2o ERA and a 131/28 K/BB ratio in 102 1/3 innings. The Rays, though, are probably more cautious with their pitching prospects than any club in baseball. …

In his first game action since undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery 11 months ago Stephen Strasburg allowed one run in 1.2 innings at Single-A yesterday, throwing 25 of 30 pitches for strikes and striking out four of the eight batters he faced. Pitchers often need time to rediscover their peak velocity following Tommy John surgery,…

Jed Lowrie is set to return from the disabled list after missing six weeks with a shoulder injury, so manager Terry Francona explained that Marco Scutaro no longer has a lock on the everyday shortstop job. “Now that we will have Jed back, we can kind of split it up,” Francona told Peter Abraham of…

Luis Castillo, who was a Yankees batboy from 1998 to 2005, has a new book coming out called “Clubhouse Confidential” and shared a preview with the New York Post that includes some reasonably interesting behind-the-scenes stories about Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and company. Assorted highlights from the preview: * Jeter nicknamed him “Squeegee” immediately because…

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Shin-Soo Choo is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment today with Class A Lake County. Choo required surgery after being hit in the left thumb by a pitch on June 24. He began taking batting practice last week and was cleared to return after…

Josh Reddick has taken J.D. Drew‘s starting job, yet when Reddick delivered the game-winning hit for the Red Sox last night the oft-maligned Drew was front and center in the celebration congratulating the rookie for beating the Yankees:

Phil Hughes took the loss in relief last night against the Red Sox, giving up a run in the 10th inning after manager Joe Girardi opted not to leave Mariano Rivera in the game with a pitch count of nine. Hughes threw only 13 pitches and said afterward that he’d be ready to make his…

Placido Polanco has played through several injuries this season with limited success, following up an excellent April by hitting just .223 with a .544 OPS in 63 games since. And now he’s headed back to Philadelphia to undergo an MRI exam on his sore left hip, which Polanco revealed yesterday had been bothering him for…

Yesterday was not a great day for the Mets’ infield. In addition to Jose Reyes aggravating his recent hamstring injury, Daniel Murphy was spiked on his left leg on a slide into second base by Braves’ outfielder Jose Constanza. While it’s not yet clear if Reyes will require another stint on the disabled list, the…

In a move that will lead to immediate speculation about top prospect Jesus Montero’s arrival in New York, manager Joe Girardi informed Jorge Posada prior to tonight’s game that he’ll no longer be the Yankees’ primary designated hitter. Eric Chavez got the start at DH tonight against the Red Sox, with Girardi telling reporters: “At…

According to beat writer Corey Brock of MLB.com, Padres third baseman Chase Headley suffered a fractured left pinkie finger in the first inning of Saturday night’s 13-2 stomping of the Pirates. Headley taped the finger and was able to stay in the game, but he is not in the San Diego lineup on Sunday afternoon…

Rays right-hander Alex Cobb has made a smooth transition to the major league rotation since his early-May promotion, but his young career might have hit a minor snag on Saturday night. After allowing five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings to a weak-hitting Oakland lineup, Cobb was taken to a local hospital after complaining of…

From WFAN in New York comes word that Mets shortstop Jose Reyes had to be removed from Sunday’s series finale against the Braves after complaining of tightness in his left hamstring. Yes, the same hamstring that sent him to the disabled list for over two weeks in July. Willie Harris entered the game to cover…